Two long-running partnerships have helped provide 4.4 million meals to vulnerable children, highlighting the role sustained corporate support can play in tackling food insecurity.
Oceana, owner of the Lucky Star brand, recognised Rise Against Hunger Africa and the Peninsula School Feeding Association for their work supporting children through schools and early childhood development centres.
The organisations were recognised at Oceana’s annual gathering of funding partners and NGOs, which provides an opportunity to assess programmes, exchange ideas and discuss challenges facing communities.
Oceana’s partnership with Rise Against Hunger Africa has continued for 14 years, with employees across the Group’s operations in South Africa, Namibia and the United States helping to pack more than one million meals.
The programme provides nutritious meals to early childhood development centres, including facilities that are not yet registered and therefore unable to access government funding.
By reducing the amount these centres need to spend on food, the initiative enables them to direct resources towards meeting registration and compliance requirements needed to qualify for government support.
Oceana’s relationship with the Peninsula School Feeding Association stretches back 27 years.
Through its School Nutrition Support Programme, the partnership provides meals annually to 750 primary school children attending four schools on the West Coast where Oceana operates factories.
Since the programme began, approximately 3.5 million meals have been served.
The programme aims to provide meals without separating or identifying children who depend on school feeding, helping prevent stigma while ensuring learners have access to nutritious food.
Oceana has also installed fully equipped prefabricated kitchens and provided eating areas, plates, cups and utensils at participating schools.
Community volunteers responsible for preparing meals receive accredited training, providing them with recognised skills alongside the stipends they receive from the schools.
Other Oceana NGO partners attending the annual gathering included Gift of the Givers, Breadline and FoodForward.
Oceana CEO Neville Brink said the gathering was an opportunity both to recognise the work being done and to have more difficult conversations about improving collaboration between business, civil society and government.
“It is always a privilege to host this event, to recognise significant achievements that often otherwise go unnoticed and, importantly, to have the hard, often uncomfortable discussions about how business, NGOs and government can all do better to realise this country’s potential,” Brink said.
